This 1982 horror film stars Gary Kent, Dean Russell, John Batis, Tomi Barrett, Ann Wilkinson, Jeanette Kelly, Corky Pigeon and Becki Burke. This begins in the wilderness in California where a couple are slaughtered by a mysterious killer. We then meet pals, Steve (Russell) and Charlie (Batis) and their wives, Sharon (Barrett) and Teddi (Wilkinson) who decide to go camping. They arrive to the woods only to discover a cannibalistic hermit, John (Kent) living there. John was once a mild-mannered, married man who found out his wife (Kelly) was having an affair, so he killed her and then his 2 beloved children, John Jr. (Pigeon) and Jennifer (Burke) killed themselves sometime after. Soon, the children appear as spirits trying to help Sharon and the others. The director, Don Jones appears briefly as a forest ranger and Barrett was also Kent's wife at the time. This isn't your typical horror/slasher flick like "Friday the 13th" which the beginning misleads us into thinking. It's kind of weird and amusing plus Kent reminds me a little of Richard Moll (Night Court) who could've easily played his character. This low-budget film does have a unique yet eerie quality with nice settings & atmospheric score. I still recommend checking it out at least once if you're a fan of the genre.

A cannibalistic backwoods killer is on the prowl and two bickering couples might be his next source of protein in this bargain basement Friday the 13th-clone cheapie. There s literally nothing of interest to see in this one, the killings are surprisingly sparse and when they do happen, completely amateurish. It also adds ghosts into the mix for no reason what so ever. I felt drained after watching it as if my brain was liquefying and draining out my nose. And it remains without a doubt Donald Jones' worst movie. If you're thinking of renting it because of Code Red's snazzy new DVD re-release Don't botherMy Grade: F

The title of this obscure and (almost righteously) forgotten 80's slasher inevitably reminds me of The Cure's mega-smash-monster hit song with the same title, hence a piece of the lyrics in the title-section of this user comment. Also, I didn't have anything else to say that was useful, anyway. But hey, "The Forest" isn't totally hopeless and not even *that* bad, actually. If nothing else, at least it obeys the, admittedly unwritten, first rule of 80's slasher: kill someone within the first 10 minutes of playtime. Sure you've heard about the basic premise of this film a dozen times before, but don't let that discourage you from watching it, as "The Forest" has a couple of things more to offer than just an appealingly sinister cover image. It's actually a bit of an atypical 80's slasher! The main characters aren't ordinary brainless teenagers and the script has solid ambitions towards supernaturalism. The concept isn't always successful, let alone plausible, but it's more than interesting enough to hold your attention and there are even are a couple of surprisingly strong moments of tension and plot twists to enjoy. Two married couples decide to go camping in the most isolated woods of California, but due to a stupid bet the wives travel separately from their husbands. Barely set up for the night, they receive uncanny visits from a mother looking for her two children, the children themselves and finally the father who's out hunting for human flesh. The demented family may be real or imaginary, but the women are definitely in danger and by the time their husbands arrive, they have already vanished. The men too encounter the family, and they find out more about the slightly dysfunction background. "The Forest" is a weird and unusual film, to say the least. It's not exactly a masterpiece of plotting, but the thoroughly strange atmosphere will certainly appeal to open-minded fans of 80's horror. The murders are fairly gruesome and will-filmed, including a slit throat and a painful saw-massacre, and the filming locations are stunningly beautiful. The more you contemplate about the story and its abrupt twists, the less it makes any sense, so my advice would just be to enjoy this odd viewing experience for as long as it lasts and not a minute longer. The acting performances are just above average, the music is okay and at least director Donald Jones (also responsible for the 70's exploitation-sickie "Schoolgirls in Chains") tried to be a little more creative that the majority of 80's horror films. Too bad it ultimately fails.

I first saw this when I was 14. I remember I wanted to swap it with my mate but he wouldn't so I tried to borrow it very long term and hope he forgot about it! Haha. In the end he asked for it back (DAMN!)Anyway this film is a classic slasher, it's "so bad but it's good". I really think it's just great in the way it's so cheap but cool at the same time. Love the location (forest) but could of been a bit more detailed on the "gore score" but if you like cheap bargain bin horror flicks then you should watch it. It's a rare film and pretty hard to come by. All in all it has something about it that I really like. Oh, and the music is great! Reminds me of the first ever casio keyboards and gives it that old slasher feel.